Spreadsheets & Moxie

Inspired by our Spreadsheets & Moxie residency in the Compton Verney 19th Century Women's Library back in January, we wanted to know what books were dear to the hearts and minds of contemporary women. So we asked 100 women in our lives - from toddlers to eighty year olds - what one book they'd like to see on our library's virtual shelves and why they'd recommend it.

Being professional can be summarised as a combination of ‘being well prepared’ and ‘being a decent human’. When is a survey not a survey? Perhaps when it's designed by two creative writers and asks you questions such as 'What's your professional superpower?' rather than 'which of these two brands do you prefer?'. Our terrifyingly long online … Continue reading You said it (Moxie survey highlights)

Tomorrow lunchtime (2 March) I'll be chatting about the Spreadsheets & Moxie project and what Sarah Salway and I reckon it takes to develop and sustain a career from your creative practice. Part of the NCLA's First Thursday series, the event is designed to fit into your lunch hour and starts at 1pm in room 1.75 of the Bedson Building, … Continue reading First Thursday event in Newcastle

One of the loudest things in my mind still from the residency a couple of weeks ago at the Compton Verney Women's Library is the lack of real books in the room. Fortunately that's something the staff there are in the process of changing as part of the Unsilencing The Library launch in June. Still, I felt … Continue reading The gift of space: Compton Verney Women’s Library residency

I'm writing this post on a train, heading for a week at the Arvon Clockhouse with fellow writer Sarah Salway. We're launching ourselves with enthusiasm into a year of R&D, funded by Arts Council England, on what leadership looks like to women in the creative arts. My bags are packed with paper, crayons, literary card games … Continue reading Spreadsheets & Moxie: the project begins